Diet and Salt Intake

Cutting down the amount of salt in your diet may be a challenge, because you are probably accustomed to the taste of salt in most foods. High levels of salt consumption can lead to high blood pressure and the accumulation of fluid around your feet and ankles. You need to have some salt in your diet for good health, but knowing how much salt to eat and what foods contain salt is key in allowing you to modify your diet.

Some Salt Is Necessary

You need sodium -- which is a component of table salt -- for normal functioning of your body. Sodium helps the nerve cells in your body relay impulses throughout the body and helps muscles contract and relax. This mineral also helps your body retain the correct amount of fluid; too much sodium can lead to edema, or swelling, and too little can lead to dehydration. Your kidneys remove any excess sodium during urination but if you have kidney problems, you may not be able to get rid of the extra sodium leading to excess fluid in your body.

Daily Recommended Amounts

The amount of sodium that you should take in each day is significantly lower than the amounts most Americans consume. The most recent dietary guidelines recommend you only consume 2,300 mg of sodium a day; if you are an African-American, older than 51, have high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes, you should lower your sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day. Men, on average, consume up to 4,700 mg of sodium each day while women get up to 3,100 mg a day, according to Colorado State University Extension website. Each 1 tsp. of salt equals about 2,000 mg of sodium, so the average American eats 2 tsp. of salt a day.

High-Sodium Foods

You need to know which foods contain salt and sodium so you can control your salt intake. Some foods have high amounts of salt because of the manufacturing process. Processed foods like frozen dinners, canned soups and pastas, smoked meats and luncheon meats have large amounts of sodium. Other items, like breads and cereals, may contribute a lot of salt to your diet because of the amount of these foods that you eat. Some dairy products like buttermilk, block cheeses and cheese spreads contain high levels of sodium as well. For many foods, you can compare the labels to find versions with lower sodium levels. Vegetables and fruits have some sodium naturally, but not as much as processed foods.

Reading Labels

Nutrition labels list the amount of sodium in a food, and you should understand how to get this information from the package. The label lists the percent of the recommended daily intake of sodium that is present in one serving of a product; if you eat more than one serving, you need to multiply the percentage by the number of servings you ate. The milligrams of sodium per serving is also noted, but the percentage may be easier to understand. Look on the packaging for terms like sodium- or salt-free, which contains less than 5 mg of sodium per serving, low-sodium which contains 140 mg or less per serving, or reduced- or lower sodium, which means that the food contains 25 percent less sodium than the original food. Reading the labels can help you make better diet choices.

Lowering Your Intake

You can lower the amount of salt and sodium in your diet by following some basic tips. Reducing the amount of salt you use when you cook and using herbs, spices and salt-free seasonings can lower your sodium intake significantly. Eating more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats can lower your sodium levels, too. Another consideration is to lower the amount of salt that you add when boiling pasta or rice; rinsing canned beans with water also removes much of the salt. Removing the salt shaker from the table will stop you adding more salt to cooked foods.